Safety means for drilling machines



' Oct. 21 1924.

1923 3 Sheets-She Filed March 5,

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Oct. 21 1924. 1,512,231

0. w. MUELLER SAFETY MEANS FOR DRILLING MACHINES Filed March 5, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z fill 85 I 86 26 90 6 98 9/ 8 6/ 99 8 25 U 92 1 1 l n fizz/enter": i @6441 3 L A a; i WW.

Oct. 21 1924.

O. W. MUELLER SAFETY MEANS FOR DRILLING MACHINES Filed March 5, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet. 5

muento M Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR W. MUELLER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MUELLER MACHINE TOOL COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SAFETY MEANS FOR DRILLING MACHINES.

Application filed March 5,

To all whom it may cmmern:

Be it known that I, (lsoan \V. MUELLER. a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati. in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Means for Drilling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety means for drilling machines, especially to drilling ma chines of the radial type, for drilling metal.

In drilling machines of the character mentioned it is customary to provide means whereby the drill-arm is adjustable up and down on a support, usually a column, and means for clamping the drill-arm in adjusted positions after adjustment. Power means are employed for adjusting the drillarm to elevation, so arranged that the driving train may be interrupted or an operating element thereof placed in neutral position, corresponding with the rest position of the drill-arm, or connections may be made in the driving train for raising the drill-arm or for lowering the same.

If the drill-arm be in clamped relation and attempt be made to connect the driving relation for up or down adjustment of the drill-arm, breakage is likely to occur in the driving train or one or more oi the members concerned in the adjustment to elevation of the drill-arm.

It is the object of my invention, therefore, to provide novel means whereby unclamped relation of the drill-arm must be obtained before the driving relation in the hdjusting train of power is completed, in order that adjustment of the drill-arm shall not be initiated prior to unclamped relation thereof.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide an operating part which is employed for operating the clamping means as well as for operating the adjusting part in the driving mechanism for elevational positioning of the drill-arm; further, to provide means whereby the operating part is locked to an operated member of the clamping means during clamped relation of the clamp ing means; further, to provide an inter changeable operating part and mating means therefor on the movable member of the clamping means and on the movable member of the adjusting means so arranged that employment of a given operating part "for actu- 1923. Serial No. 622,806.

ation in both the clamping means and in the adjusting means is assured; further, to provide distinctive connecting or key-hole and key means between the operating part and the movable parts respectively of the clamping means and the adjusting means; and, further, to provide automatic locking means between the operating part and the locking mechanism.

The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drilling machine embodying my invention, partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same,

taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, partly H broken away.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the same. taken in section on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, showing the clamping arm in clamped relation in full lines and in unelamped relation in dotted lines, the connecting means between the op erating part and the clamping mechanism being shown in central axial section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

'Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 77 of Fig.

Fig. 8 is an axial section of a detail. taken on the line 88 of Fig. 4, showing the operating arm connected with the operated member of the adjusting means for adjusting the drill-arm to elevation; and,

Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevation of a detail, partly in section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 11 is a bottom view of a detail of the same.

In the present exemplification of my invention, the drilling machine comprises a base 21. from which a column 22 extends in fixed relation. A drill-arm 24 extends laterally from the column, and is shown as a radial drill-arm provided with a bearing 25 received about the column, and rotatable on the column.

The drill-arn'i is provided with guideways 26, extending lengthwise thereof, along which a slide 27 is adjustable in any usual manner. The slide supports a drillspindle 28, rotated in any usual manner on the slide, and arranged to carry a drill 29. Suitable means are provided for rotating the drill-spindle in either direction, permitting the same to be non-rotative, and for adjusting the same axially on the slide.

The drill-arm is adjustable in suitable manner up and down on the column for adjusting the elevation of the arm and of the drill supported thereby, to place the same in proper relation to the work, which is supported on the base or on a super-structure mounted on the base or in other suitable manner.

I have exemplified this adjustment as accomplished by means of a screw-rod 31, which is threaded in a nut 32, fixed axially in the drill-arm, as by being secured in a socket 38 in the drill-arm, the nut in this instance being exemplified as non-rotative, and the screw-rod as rotative, for providin; the desired relative rotative movement between the screw-rod and the nutin order to effect the adjustment to elevation of the drill-arm.

The lower end of the screw-rod is provided with a journal which has a bearing 35 in the column. The upper end of the screw-rod is journaled'in a bearing 36 in a top-plate 37 of the column, and has a double width gear 38 fixed thereto. An upright shaft 41 is suitably journaled in the column, and is suitably driven. and has pinion 42 and a gear 43 fixed thereto. The pinion 42 meshes with agear 44 journaled on a stud-shaft 45 fixed to the top plate 37. A gear 46 is journaled on a studshaft 47 fixed to the top plate 37 and meshes with the gear 44. The gear 46 meshes with a gear 48 fixed to an upright shaft 49, by means of which the drill-spindle is driven by suitable and well-known mechanism.

In this train of gearing, the gears 43 and 44 rotate in opposite directions. A quadrant 51 is journaled about the axis of the upright screw-rod 31 and has thereon pinions 52, 53, suitably journaled on stud shafts and 55 on said quadrant. The pinions 52, 53, mesh with the gear 38 fixed to the upper end of the screw-rod.

Means are provided for swinging the quadrant so as to place the pinion in mesh with the gear 44 or the pinion 53 in mesh with the gear 43. When the pinion 52 in mesh with the gear 44, rotation of the serewqod caused in one direction, for instance, to raise the drill-arm. hen the pinion 53.is in mesh with the gear 43, the screw-rod 31 is rotated in the opposite direction, for instanc, for lowering the drill-arm. Vhen the pinions 52, 53, are in neutral position with relation to the gears 43, 44, the screw-rod is at rest, corresponding to a rest-position in elevation of the drill-arm.

The swinging movements of the quadrant are shown accomplished by means of an upright rocker-rod 61, which is journaled in a bearing 62 at the lower end of the column and a bearing 63 in the upper plate 37. The upper end of the upright rod has a pinion 64 fast thereon, which meshes with a segment-gear 65 on the quadrant.

Neutral relation in said driving connection for operating the upright screw-rod is preferably aided automatically by means of a pin 67, fixed in the top-plate 37, and having socket-pieces 68, 69, hearing thereagainst. These socketpieces have axial movement in bearings 70, 71, on the quadrant. Springs 72, 73, are received in the respective socket-pieces, the outer ends of the springs bearingagainst the adjusting screws 74, 75, adjustable in the outer threaded ends of thebores of said bearings.

The rocking of'the upright rocker-rod for effecting driving connection in the train of gearing for operating the upright screwrod in either direction is accomplished by manualmeans in manner to be presently described.

\Vhen the drill-arm has been adjusted to elevation, it is clamped to the column, for instance, by forming its bearing 25 as a clamp-bearing, having a split 81 therein. Clamp-screws 82, 83, are provided, respec tively journaled in cheeks 84, 85, atthe respective sides of the split. Nuts 86, 87, are threaded over the threaded ends of the bolts. These nuts have lugs 88, 89, extending therefrom, with which a link 90 is articulated at 91, 92. The bolts are arranged to be fixed in the cheeks 8-4 by means of setbolts 93. Turning of the nuts in clamping direction causes approach between the cheeks at the opposite sides of the split for clamping the split-bearing about the colnmn, by causing approach between the heads of the bolts at one side of the cheeks and the nuts thereof at the other side of the cheeks. The rotative position of the bolts in the cheeks affects the clamping positionv of the nuts, and the range and location of clamping movement of the operating part for efi'ecting clamping and unclamping of the drill-arm.

I have preferred to show a plurality of the clamping bolts and nuts, interconnected for combined movement, although it will be readily understood that other clamping means may be employed. 1 have shown one of the nuts, exemplified as the upper nut, as provided with .an operated arm, which may be instanced as the operated member of the clamping means in the present exemplificationof my invention. The operated arm is exemplified at 95 as extending from the nut 86. The nut 87 is provided with a toe 06 arranged to contact the bearing 25 of the drill-arm, for limiting movement of the nuts in unclamping direction.

1 have exemplified the adjusting means for elevation of the drill-arm as provided with an operated part 97, shown as an arm extending from the upright rocker-rod 61, and as clamped rigidly to said rocker-rod by means of a split-bearing 98 received thereabout, and a bolt 99, to clamp the splitbearing about said rod, the said bolt being journaled in one of the walls of the split in said bearing and threaded in the other of said walls.

I have provided an operating part for the clamping means and for the adjusting means, so arranged that operation of either of said means by said operating part is essential, and have provided means whereby said operating part is locked to the operated member of the clamping means during clamped relation in said clamping means, in order that movement of the operated member of the adjusting means may not take place for either raising or lowering the drill-arm during clamped relation of the drill-arm.

The operated members, namely, the operated arm 95 of the clamping means and the operated arm 97 of the adjusting means, are sufl'iciently short so that the manual effort required to move the same by manual application to the operated parts themselves would be too great to effect the operation of the clamping means or of the adjusting means, making it necessary to employ an operating part having connection with said operated parts in order to effect said respective movements.

The operating part exemplified is a handle 101, there being a single handle for operating both the operated arms of the clamping means and adjusting means respectively. This single operating part is arranged to be operatively connected with only one of said operated parts at any one time, and I so form the connections as to make the connec tions between the operating part and the respective operated parts distinctive, in the nature of a. key-hole and key connection, so as to require the employment of the distinctive operating part provided for accomplishing movement in either the clamping means or the adjusting means.

Thus I have provided the operated arm 95 with a socket-piece 102, the wall of which is provided with a bore 103, an interfering stem 104 fixed in and extending from the bottom of said bore Outward centrally in said bore, forming an annular space 105 between the wall of the socket and the interfering stem, and providing an interruption 106 in said space, shown as formed by means of a pin secured in the wall of said socket and extending crosswise of said space at the outer end of said space.

The arm 97 of the adjusting means is provided with a similar socket-piece112, the wall of which has a bore 113, an interfering stem 114 fixed in and extending from the bottom of said bore outward centrally in said bore, forming an annular space 115 between the wall of the socket and the interfering stem, and providing an interruption 116 in said space, shown as formed by means of a pin secured in the wall of said socket and extending crosswise of said space at the outer end of said space.

The operating handle has its end formed as a tube 121 provided with a lengthwise slot 122. The interfering stem 101 or ll-t is received in the bore of the tube, and tho obstructing pin 106 or 116 is received in the slot 122, making it necessary to have a specially formed handle, instanced as a keyhole and key connection, to fit the operated parts in order to move the latter respectively.

I have further provided means whereby disconnection of the operating part from the clamping means depends on the unclamped condition of said clamping means.

In the present exemplification the position of the operated arm during clamped relation of the clamping means is shown in full lines in Fig. 5, instanced as a downard inclination of the arm, and the unclamped position of said arm during unclamped relation of said clamping means is instanced as an upward inclination and shown in dotted lines in said figure.

The automatic locking means between the operating part and the operated part is exemplified as a gravity lock, comprising a rolling gravity locking part, instanced as a ball 125, movable in a guideway 126, for convenience formed as a slot in a plug 127, located in a bearing 128, and secured in said bearing by means of a pin 129. The bottom wall 130 of said slot is formed at an angle with relation to the axis of the socket. The slot is shown provided with overhanging outer walls 131 received partway about the inner iace of the ball, so as to retain the ball in the slot, the ball having movement between the end walls of the slot formed by the wall of the bore of the bearing in which the plug is received.

hen the pivoted operated arm 95 slants downardly from its pivot, the ball is caused to roll upon the inclined bottom wall of its groove for causing approach between the ball and the axis of the socket-piece, whereby contact is made between the ball and the inner periphery of the tube of the operating handle, to lock the operating handle in the socket-piece, and prevent withdrawal of the handle throughout the clamped relation in the clamping means. In this manner operation in the adjusting means is prevented during such relation in the clamping means.

If it is the desire of the operator to adjust the drill-arm to elevation, he must first place the clamping means in unclamping relation before he can remove the operating part from its connection with the clamping means, in order to employ it for effecting operative connection in the adjusting means.

This he does by raisin-g the operating handle, whereby the operated arm 95 is swung about its pivot so as to be inclined upwardly, whereby the ball 125 is permitted to descend in its slot, for releasing the operating handle. In order to effect release of the operating handle, it is desirable to first push the operating handle inwardly with relation to the socket-piece, in the direction of the arrow 132, permitted by the space 133, by which movement friction contact between the operating handle and the locking ball or member is released, whereupon the handle may be removed by pulling on the same in the direction of the arrow 134.

The operating handle may then be employed for effecting the desired movement in the train of mechanism for accomplishin the raising orlowering of the drill-arm.

Vhen the adjustment has been perfected, the operating handle is again removed from the operated part of the adjusting means, and inserted in the operated part of the clamping means, and the handle pulled down for clamping relation in the clamping means, it being necessary to again clamp the drill-arm, whereby the handle is again automatically locked to the clamping mechanism, again necessitating release in the clamping mechanism for employment of the handle for adjusting purposes. The operating part is really an interchangeable safety handle for the clamping and adjust ing means, and employment of the handle for both means is necessitated by the key connection between said handle and said respective operated parts.

In order to prevent sticking of the ball or gravity part in its runway, I provide a hole in the ail of the runway, through which gasoline or other cleansing fluid may be injected.

My improved device provides ready, economical and convenient means for insuring safety in the operation of the adjusting means for raising and lowering the drillarm.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, a member concerned in adjusting said drill-arm, a member concerned in clamping said drillarm, an operating part for coaction with means between said operating part and said second-named member arranged for automatically causing looking relation in said connecting means during-clamped relation of said drilLarm and release relation in said connecting means during unclamped relation of said drill-arm.

2. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, a member concerned in adjusting said drill-arm and a member concerned in clamping said drillarm, a single operating part for both said members, and means whereby to automatically lock said operating part to said lastnamed member during clamped relation of said drill-arm.

3. In safety means for adrilling ma chine, the combination of a drill-arm, a member concerned in adjusting said drillarm, a member concerned in clamping said drill-arm, a single operatingpart for both said members, a keyhole and key connection between said operating part and each of said members, and means whereby to automatically lock said operatin part to said second-named member during clamped relation of said drill arm.

4. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, adjusting means therefor comprising an operated member, clamping means for said drill-arm comprising an operated member, and a single operating part for said respective members, said single operating part and each of said operated parts having a combined inclosing and crossing connection between them, and said single operating part and said second named operated member having automatic locking means between them operative to lock said operating part to said second named operated member during clamped relation of said clamping means.

5. In safety means for-a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, adjusting means therefor comprising an operate member clamping means for said drillarm comprising an operated member, a single operating part for said respective members, and automatic means for locking said operating part and said second-named operated member together during clamped relation in said clamping means and for positioning said automatic means in release relation during unclamped relation in said clamping means.

6. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, means for adjusting said drill-arm to elevation comprising a short operated arm, clamping means for said drill-arm comprising a short operated arm, a single operating handle forming an extension of said respective arms, and connecting means between said either of said members, and connecting operating handle and said respective arms comprising a shell, a stem therein to form an obstruction in said shell and a space between said stem and said shell, a cross-piece to form an obstruction in said space and a tubular part having a slot therein received in said space with said obstruction located in said slot.

7. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, means for adjusting said drill-arm to elevation com prising a short operated arm, clamping means for said drill-arm comprising a short operated arm, a single operating handle forming an extension of said respective arms, connecting means between said operat' ing handle and said respective arms com prising a shell, a stem therein to form an obstruction in said shell and a space between said stem and said shell, a cross-piece to form an obstruction in said space and a tubular part having a slot therein received in said space with said obstruction located in said slot, and an automatic lock between said handle and said second-named operated arm acting to lock said handle to said second-named arm during clamped relation in said clamping means.

8. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, clamping means for clamping said drillarm comprising a part arranged to be inclined in opposite directions during clamped relation and unclamped relation respectively in said clamping means, an operating part for said last-named part, and a gravity lock between said parts operative to lock said parts together during clamped relation of said first-named part.

9. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, clamping means for clamping said drill-arm comprising a part arranged to be inclined in opposite directions during clamped relation and unclamped relation respectively in said clamping means, an operating part for said last named part, and an automatic lock for said operating part arranged to automatically lock said parts together during clamped relation in said clamping means and to automatically place said lock in run locking relation during unclarnped relation in said clamping means.

10. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, clamping means for clamping said drillarin comprising an operated part arranged to be inclined in opposite directions during clamped relation and unclamped relation respectively in said clamping means, adjusting means for adjusting said drillarm to elevation comprising an operated part, and a single operating part for said operated parts, said parts having distinctive key-hole and key connection between them, and an automatic lock for said operating part arranged to automatically lock said operating part and said first-named operated part together during clamped relation in said clamping means and to automatically place said lock in unlocking relation during unclamped relation in said clamping means.

11. In safety means for a drilling machine, the combination of a drill-arm, clamping means for clamping said drill-arm comprising a pivoted operated part arranged to be inclined oppositely at opposite sides of the horizontal plane in which its pivot is located during clamped relation and unclamped relation respectively in said clamping means, adjustii'ig means for adjusting said drill-arm to elevati m comprising an operated part, a single operating handle for said operated parts, and a rolling gravity locking part between said operating handle and said pivoted operated part arranged to loclt said handle and said pivoted operated part together during clamped relation in said clamping means and to place said handle in release relation during unclamped relation in said clamping means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR TV. MUELLER.

IVitnesses:

EDWARD J. BRIGGS, DELMA IVERNsING. 

